Of Demeter
by SyrenaLegacyAU
Summary: After a life-altering day at the beach, Chloe and Emma start noticing strange happenings all around them tied to the weird new exchange students, the ocean and, horrifyingly enough, Emma herself. Follow Chloe as she and her friend unravel a centuries-long mystery and drift further apart as their worlds become more different than they thought.


While walking along uneven boards, eyes trained on the beach, as if people have nothing better to do. We're scouring it for an empty spot, but the whole place is already chocked with tourists. I hear a loud thwack behind me followed by a groan. I turn around, expecting to see a pile of white curls and my best friend slumped on the ground behind me. Instead, I see Emma's whole body plastered onto an unsuspecting stranger. He starts apologising, checking if she's ok, the poor soul couldn't rouse her if he tried though. She looks concussed with shame. Of course, as any good friend would, I decide to help.

"Oh my gosh, Emma! If you want someone's number, try asking them instead of body slamming them! I'm so sorry dude, we usually bring her crash helmet"

And there's the glare I was hoping for, this serves her right. What sort of friend doesn't lend you their ID anyway? All I wanted was a tattoo and I'll be 18 in like a month, but she insisted that her lending me the ID would be a bad idea.

"Oh, it's no problem, you should be more careful though. Are you sure you're not hurt… Emma?"

She's turning bright red! This is too good, he looks concerned for her and is tilting her head to check for injuries. He seems to think she might have broken her nose on his pecks. Not that I can blame him for the assumption, the only thing confirming he isn't carved from granite is the olive tone of his skin. The guy looks vaguely Greek with his large nose, almond eyes, and loosely curled dark hair. He's undeniably handsome, but he holds himself all stiff, like somebody with military training. The guy clearly has no boundaries since he's not pulled away yet.

"Well, it was nice meeting you…" "Galen" "Garran, but we have to get going if we're going to catch any waves," I say as I take Emma's arm. She looks pretty disappointed, but I'm suddenly getting this creepy vibe and I'm ready to drag her up the beach.

"We could meet you later? I hear there're some nice places to go on the boardwalk." She manages to force out. He flashes a sharp smile, "I'd like that. I'll be waiting." He replies as he turns to go.

Once we make it to the beach, Emma finally pops her top. Her big, indigo eyes look as if they could poke holes in me with the glare I'm being given.

"What the hell Chloe! You were so rude back there, I'm going to strangle you!"

"Oh, come on Emma, I was only playing with you. Besides, that guy Garran gave me some majorly creepy vibes with the way he was clinging to you."

"He wasn't clinging, I was the one frozen to the spot."

She's starting to huff, maybe I did overreact.

"Ok, fine. Maybe he's nice, we can hang out with him after we swim, ok?"

"I doubt he wants to after how rude you were, but I'm holding you to that."

"I know you will", I roll my eyes slightly but know that I'm forgiven for now. We turn our attention to getting some boards and going out into the sea.

Saltwater slaps my face. As handful after handful of water is shoved towards me, this water fight seems to be a losing battle. I hold my hands up in defeat, man Emma plays dirty when she's mad at me.

"Feel any better?" I croak as I cough up sea water, she wrinkles her nose when I blow mine and set the snot to sea. We're sat pretty far out on our boards after a short rest from surfing turned into an all-out battle. Both of us are a little flushed from a mix of sunlight and laughter.

"Hmmm, not yet. Will you let me hold your head underwater until I feel better?"

That's definitely not happening. "Aww don't be so mean Emma, you know you love me." I give her my cutest face. She giggles a little.

"Okay, but you're so being my wingman tonight, right?". I nod, this still feels like a bad idea but at least I can be there to make sure he's not a serial killer.

"Has he stopped staring from the pier yet?" I ask as I squint towards the shore.

Sure enough, there's still a tan, dark-haired figure on the pier. Joined by a second, more feminine person who looks otherwise identical to him.

"Do you think that's his girlfriend?" she asks.

"I doubt it, she looks similar enough to be his sister, though that may be the salt in my eyes talking."

She deflates with relief. I decide to stare at the water a little, the light seems to have changed as mid-afternoon sets in. The patterns across the surface of the water are a complex web of light, reflecting on my cheap rental board. It contrasts against my dark legs before they vanish into the water.

"Hey, Chloe?"

"Hmmm?", I lift my head to look at my friend.

"That Garran guy, did you notice anything weird about his eyes?"

His eyes, I can't say I looked at them too hard but now she says it, they looked a little too light on him.

"Because I was right in front of him and I could have sworn they were the same colour as mine."

I look up at her again, her purple eyes are wide and she's clearly being sincere. I jolt a little as I remember that his eyes were indeed purple, how had I not noticed? I open my mouth to speak before something brushes against my leg, hard.

"Did you just kick me?"

"No way! And you're dodging the question!"

I look over and realise that she's way too far away to be able to kick me. Bump. It hits my leg harder this time.

"Emma, it happened again, something bumped my leg"

"Is this another prank, I'm not in the mood Chloe."

"Seriously, something keeps hitting my leg."

My stomach is churning as a third bump hits me, I'm about to pull my legs up when I start screaming. Pain knives it's way up my leg and suddenly I'm being pulled under the water, I hear Emma start shouting.

"SHARK, SHARK! PLEASE HELP US, SHARK!"

I spot the pier again as I'm dragged down, the two figures have vanished. My vision is swallowed by green water and a stream of bubbles.

Everything is darkness and pain, I feel like my leg is being ripped off and my lungs are burning. Two hands have me in a vice-like grip. The white circling my vision could be the oxygen deprivation or long white hair.

I don't deserve to die here, I've still got too much to do, I have people I want to take care of, I never even got to leave the country. More blood is leaking out of me, I can taste copper on the water and I stop thrashing, I can only feel calm. I can't feel the grip on my leg anymore.

I lose consciousness, right before we crest the top of the wave, and are pulled onto the lifeboat.

I'm coughing and sputtering around a throat like sandpaper. The sharp air can't fill my lungs fast enough as more and more saltwater floods out of my lungs. I swear it must be taking my lung with it at this point. Harsh light is shoved in my eye and people are talking all around me. I can hear Emma crying somewhere and an unfamiliar voice is asking me questions. I try to answer but my throat is too raw from screaming and salt.

The trip back to land is quick, they shove me in an ambulance. I'm told I've lost a lot of blood and need a transfusion, Emma tells them I'm AB positive. The universal receiver, I realise, never thought it'd be too relevant.

A few hours later, I'm told I'm stable as I sit propped up on the hospital bed. Emma is sat beside me, looking like hell, and shivering in the space blanket they gave her. It's only then that I finally look down at my leg. I remember, vaguely, them talking about an operation. They put me under for a short while, the leg is completely gone from the knee down, it was unsalvageable. They say my parents will be here soon to come get me, that they're willing to get me the best prosthetics money can buy. I've still lost my leg, I feel utterly defeated thinking of the races I'd wanted to run this year. I think of all the hard work I'm going to have to do if I want to walk again.

Either way though, I've somehow survived.

I lived bitch.


End file.
